Where the Secrets Lay
by weirdanimegeek
Summary: Some secrets should just be left...secretive. Rogue knew this, but she couldn't help telling him he was the father just to break that "I don't care" attitude. And it worked. It worked so well.
1. Chapter 1

***~*This is my first ever X-men story and my first ever Pyro/Rogue. I've been having the urge to write this story for a really long time. Plus the Ryro catalogue on this sight is basically nonexistent. This prologue is set after X3, but the others chapters will be during X2. The rating is M for a reason. Enjoy!**

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><p>"How long has this been going on?"<p>

"Is it any of your business?"

"Where is he?"

"Shouldn't you know by now?"

"Do you know what's been happening?"

"Why should I care about other people?"

"Why don't you come back?"

"What's the point?"

"Did you take the cure?"

"Why would I do that if I already have control?"

"When did you get control?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You should just answer the questions, Rogue, instead of throwing them back at me."

"Should I, Logan? It's not like you care."

Rogue was leaning back in her chair, a blank look was on her face and she kept on glancing at the door. She wanted him out and soon. She didn't want any member of the X-men near her, they might try to convince her to go back to the mansion.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued to glare at the Wolverine. He didn't get the hint that she wanted him gone and if it came down to a fight; she sighed at the thought.

"Why did he leave?" Logan suddenly asked, knowing that this topic would strike a chord with her and as expected she snapped.

"Fuck you, Logan. If you wanna know why John left, it's cause he wanted to be free. I don't know why you're here, but tell Storm and the rest of those bastards that I ain't coming back. I have this baby growin' inside me. I don't have time for this petty war so why don't you give that message to those stupid idiots back at the mansion."

She stood up from her chair and walked over to the door, opening it and motioning for him to leave.

Logan stood there in shock. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his Marie was pregnant, much less that the Firebug was the one who knocked her up. That bastard left her to join the Brotherhood for fuck's sake. Logan couldn't help but free his claws and shred the sofa he was sitting on moments ago.

Rogue sighed before channeling her inner Magneto and yelled out, "Enough!" Logan suddenly stopped, retracting his claws while panting heavily.

He stood before her and looked down at her. While gazing at her face, he couldn't find the girl he crossed paths with back in that bar so long ago. He found a confident young women that had fire in her eyes. He knew that she would be okay living by herself, well her and a kid inside her.

"Rogue. Is this what you really want? I can always find that son of a bitch and bring him-"

She raised a hand in protest and shook her head. Tears were already welling inside her eyes. He really needed to leave.

"If he wants to be a part of this, he'll come. Just go back, Logan."

He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay, but it was totally out of his nature. She was tough enough, she wouldn't want his pity.

He walked to the door and before he stepped outside he said with a slight smile, "You know where to find me, Rogue."

He turned to leave, he barely heard her whisper but he heard it. "Marie," she said. Logan turned around and repeated her whisper then closed the door on his way out.

He really hoped that it all worked out for her. If she was so confident about what she was doing then he had no reason to stay there. Rogue was going to do this, he knew it, but that didn't stop him from wanting to kill that arrogant pyromaniac.

John put her into this shitty mess and he was gonna have to man the fuck up. No more running and hiding from all his problems. He had a kid now, whether he liked it or not. And Rogue really wanted him in her life, even though she acts like she doesn't. Mother fucking John and his cowardice.

Logan smirked as he walked back to his truck. Oh, he was gonna find that little prick and beat some sense into him.

"And that's a fucking promise," he gruffly mumbled to himself.

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><p>Rogue's days passed as usual. Nobody contacted her and she was glad for it. It's not that she didn't want anything to do with her old teammates- actually never mind, she didn't want anything to do with the X-Men. She was done with that part of her life, she had a child to worry about.<p>

She was content with where her life was, content that she finally got control over her powers. She never told anybody, but the reason for her departure from the X-Men was to ask Magneto to help her control her power. That's where everything went down the hill for her. That's where she started messing around with John.

Rogue wasn't stupid; she knew that John wasn't really looking for a relationship. She respected his wishes, even related to him, so she didn't feel the need to look for him.

She knew that sooner or later, he was going to reappear. He was just too obsessed with using his power. He decided to ignore what he had, what they had, and she didn't bother begging him to be with her. He wouldn't have stayed anyways.

They could've been so perfect together, two broken pieces that somehow matched perfectly. Yet, things never turned out how you wanted them to.

It's been one month. Rogue's been pregnant for four months now and she hasn't heard from Pyro. He changed his name and she couldn't help but roll her eyes when she first heard it. Typical John.

Despite what Rogue told herself, she couldn't hate John. He was deprived of using his full power at the mansion, and with Magneto, nobody told him no. He had the chance to do whatever the hell he wanted to. He finally had the chance to be in control for once.

That didn't stop Rogue from hating John for leaving her with a child. She was too young, she was only eighteen. She lived in a tiny apartment and had nobody to support her. The odds were stacked against her from the very start.

She gently patted her stomach.

A shrill ringing filled the room and she looked for her phone. Once she picked it up and answered with a simple 'hello' she realized the mistake she made.

"Rogue?" It was the voice that gave it away. It was deep and masculine and she knew it was him.

Anger filled her small body and she started screaming into the phone. Her accusations of how irresponsible he was made him angry and he started yelling, too. They haven't talked in a long time but their arguing said otherwise.

"What the fuck do you want, Johnny? Or is it Pyro now?" She spat acidly.

"It's Pyro, Rogue. Or are you going by Marie now? Last thing I heard about you was that you took the cure. How pathetic. I never thought that-" His voice was menacing and dripped with sarcasm; she didn't like it one bit.

"Oh spare me the crap and just tell me what you want. I have a life, Pyro."

A life growing inside of me, Rogue thought to herself. She couldn't tell him, wouldn't mention it. He would have wanted for her to get rid of the baby. After all, he was that much of a bastard.

"Rogue, I'm not coming back." The words were simple, his tone was clear, but why did she feel like there was something hidden in between those words. As if he wanted her to look into those words and find the hidden message.

She was silent and mumbled quietly, "Oh yeah, well John, I'm pregnant and you're the father."

Some secrets should just be left...secretive. Rogue knew this, but she couldn't help telling him he was the father just to break that 'I don't care' attitude. And it worked. It worked so well.

Before he even said a word, she hung up and that was the last time she heard of Pyro Saint John Allerdyce.

***~*Don't kill me for it being so short. I had to write something. Anyways, yes the prologue has drama in it. What can I say, I'm a dramatic person. I hope you liked it, reviews and critisizm are welcomed.**

**~geek**


	2. Chapter 2

***~*Thank you to everybody that supported the last chapter. May it be by adding the story to their alerts or favorites, or if you reviewed, hell if you even read. Thanks so much guys! Oh and long ass author's note at the bottom; if you're interested.**

***~*Nope, I don't own Marvel characters or anything along those lines.**

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><p>Maybe it was a mistake being with Bobby for that short time. Maybe it was a mistake even leaving the school in the first place. What was she going to do? Show up at some random clinic where they were administrating this 'cure' and demand for a vaccination? Everybody assumed that was where she was going. She was tired of repeating how she didn't like the idea of this vaccine. Tired of how she constantly had to say she wasn't dating Bobby any longer.<p>

Bobby was not-so secretly screwing Little Miss Walk-Through-Walls and Rogue didn't care cause she never loved Bobby.

She left and allowed them to think whatever they wanted.

She sighed as she shuffled her feet and blew out a shaky breath, watching the little cloud her air left. She was waiting in the cold for the bus to stop. The faster she got out of there, the less chance the X-men would find her. No, with Wolfie on their side, they would be able to find her no matter what. Thankfully, though, Logan was somewhere moping about that ginger he supposedly loved.

The thought made her roll her eyes and she stood once she saw the bus approaching. She was jumpy, maybe even paranoid. All she wanted to do was put a wide distance between her and Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

She released a sigh of relief once the bus finally stopped in front of her. She quickly climbed aboard the bus and paid for the fare. Only about five people were riding this bus, which was not that unusual. As she started to walk towards the back of the bus, her ears caught onto the sound of a familiar click. She heard him before she saw him. There sitting at the back of the bus, flicking his infamous lighter, was Saint John Allerdyce.

He looked different and it wasn't just because of his now blond hair. He had dark circles under his eyes, almost as if he gotten in a really bad fight, and lost. He looked drained and out of energy. He wasn't thin, but he wasn't anywhere close to being brawny.

The bus rolled on and Rogue quickly walked to where he was seated. She plopped down onto the seat to the left of him and shook off her hood.

"Finally decided to leave that shit hole?" John asked without looking up at her.

He knew it was her from the moment she stepped on the bus. They have always been able to sense each other's presence. It was strange, but when have mutants ever been considered normal. They were treated worse than animals, used for experiments. Now they had this so-called 'cure'. What was it going to cure? They weren't sick.

John snapped his lighter shut and glanced up at Rogue. She looked the same way she did when he walked out of the jet that fateful day. Same white bangs, same black gloves, hell it even looked like she was wearing the same clothes. The only difference now was the fact that she wouldn't stop glaring at him.

"Yeah, I just pulled a 'John' and walked away," she finally spat, anger and a hint of hurt were laced in her voice.

He laughed without humor and continued to play with the lighter. _Was she seriously upset about what I did nearly four months ago?_

"Oh please, Rogue. What did you want me to do? Sit there like Bobby and be a good little boy?" John said sarcastically.

Rogue glared at him and had the sudden urge to just punch him sans gloves. It was an appealing thought, but she squashed it down nonetheless. She wasn't in the mood to reawaken the John in her head.

Ever since that day she forcefully stopped John from burning those cops, Rogue had to deal with the tiny part of him she acquired from her little heroic act. She had to deal with his thoughts invading her psyche for four months before she finally managed to cage him in. Of course there were other personalities that were constantly fighting for control, but she somehow managed to have the upper hand.

"You could have warn me that you were planning on joining that-that asshole's little gang." The angrier Rogue got, the more her accent showed itself. Damn her Mississippian roots to hell.

John scoffed as he shook his head. He really didn't know she was _that _mad. Sure he was expecting her to be a little annoyed, but she looked like she seriously wanted to throttle him. It wasn't as if he killed her or anything.

"Why the fuck are you even mad? I didn't attempt to kill you. If I recall correctly you nearly killed me." He looked down at the flames that were dancing up his fingers. God, he wanted to roast her ass.

"I only did that to stop you from getting blood on your hands, you prick!" Her yells were starting to alert the other bus riders and they all turned to glance curiously at them.

John glared at every single one of them and willed the fire on his fingers to increase slightly. They got the message and turned around, but not before sneering at him.

"Mutant freak," one passenger said loudly enough for Rogue and John to hear.

"Asshole," John muttered as he casually closed his hand and squelched the flames.

He sighed and turned to Rogue. Shouldn't she be with Bobby or something? Why the fuck was she even outside of the mansion? Countless questions ran through his mind, but he wasn't concerned enough to get any answers to those questions.

There was an uncomfortable silence settling around them, but both were too stubborn to do anything about it. They would rather hold onto their pride instead of airing out what was in their heads. Rogue and John were the standard teenagers, just a tad bit more inflexible and with mutant powers.

A smirk appeared on his lips. He lazily drawled, "So… you're gonna get the 'cure' to finally fuck Bobby, huh?"

"Fuck you, John!" Rogue snapped disgustedly before she pressed on the little button that would request for the bus to stop.

Luckily enough for her they were approaching a stop already. She got up from her seat and walked off the bus without looking back. She flinched ever so slightly when the cold air hit her face. Her eyes scanned the empty highway. It probably wasn't the wisest choice she has ever made. She let John get under her skin and now she was in the middle of nowhere.

She sighed as the bus drove away, effectively leaving her in some unknown place. She told herself it was better walking than being stuck in a bus with John Allerdyce, but the cold was unbearable. She couldn't help but damn John to hell along with her thick accent.

There was a sudden click and she groaned. She slowly turned around and there he was, playing with his stupid lighter once again. He really wanted to get his ass kicked.

His smirk was still intact and he was slowly making his way to where she stood. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking of what to do next. She could walk away from John, but she wanted to ask him for a favor. A favor that she might regret later, but she was desperate now.

John wrapped his hand around her arm and she hissed before smacking the back of his head.

He snarled and his grip on her arm got slightly tighter. "What the fuck?"

Rogue was about to really inflict damage when he released his hold on her arm and started to walk away from her. She bit her lip as she contemplated her next move.

I'm really going crazy now

, she thought to herself then gathering as much nerve as she could, she called out John's name.

It only made him walk faster. Did he lose his hearing to go along with his missing sanity?

Rogue shook her head, huffed angrily and jogged after John. She reached him in seconds and reached out to get a hold of his left arm.

He turned before she did, though, and glared at her with such animosity that she couldn't help but feel uneasy. His jaw clenched, flames licked up his arms, a strange glint in his eyes. He looked unstable. Like how he did four months back at the Drake household. For some reason Rogue was not scared. If anything she was dying to see what was going in his deranged head of his.

"Go back to fucking school, Rogue. I'm not gonna waste my time with someone who is willing to give up their life." Accusatory words thrown at Rogue and she didn't know how to get it through this prat's thick skull that she didn't want the 'cure'. She wanted to gain control, to reign in her power. Why didn't he get that? Or anybody for that matter.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Johnny? I ain't taking the fucking vaccine! I'm sick and tired of how people assume I want the shot. When they announced the success, everyone looked at me. 'Poor little Marie can't touch anybody.' I'm not gonna sit around and let you accuse me of something I ain't even contemplating!" As her little rant went on, her words became louder and her hands moved rapidly.

Really all she wanted was to finally be in control. Xavier didn't understand how to help her. Putting blocks in her head wouldn't stop her from killing people with a touch. She needed somebody else's help and she didn't want to do it, but it was time to go somewhere else.

Her chest heaved and she defiantly stared up into John's dead hazel eyes, daring him to accuse her again. He knew better and kept his lips shut.

The flames went out as he ran a hand through his hair. He eyed the ground for a moment while recollecting his thoughts. Why was she even here? If she didn't want to get the 'cure' why did she leave the school? More importantly, why did John even care about her motives?

They stared at each other once more, sizing each other up. John grinned suddenly. Those hazel eyes finally lighted up like how they used to when he would pull a massive prank on an unsuspecting victim. Rogue grew suspicious and narrowed her eyes at him just a tad. His smile grew tenfold and he grabbed her glove-covered hand.

He dragged her across the deserted road, momentarily freeing her hand to flick open his lighter and brought the flame over to his left hand. He closed the lighter, slipped it in his front pocket and took hold of Rogue's hand in his right.

As they entered the woods, Rogue got an uneasy feeling and tried to pull her hand back. "Johnny, what are you doing?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.

She did not want to be burned at the crisp by the hands of some pyromaniac whom deemed it necessary. Or at least she thought that's what he was going to do.

John turned his head to the right a little and she could see his smile. It rendered her speechless, which was new for her because smiles never made her lose the ability to speak.

Rogue thought he wasn't going to respond, but after a minute or so, he responded. "Relax, Rogue. I'm not killing you." He caught sight of her shocked expression and shook his head while continuing to lead her through the trees. "I could see the suspicion in your eyes. Don't worry. If it helps any, I'm giving you what you want."

"Oh yeah, John? What is it that I want?" The words slid off her tongue easily and she felt the corners of her mouth tilt upwards. Somehow this reminded her of the days when they were at the Institute and they would tease each other about stupid things. Bobby never understood their sarcastic remarks, but Rogue and John were too busy mocking each other that they didn't bother explaining it to Bobby.

John turned towards Rogue and smirked before nudging her forwards. She glared at him, but stepped in front of him and gasped. The trees were cleared and there in front of her was hundreds of mutants and leading all of them was the mutant she was planning on seeking out.

John leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Control…freedom."

She shivered at how close he was and she glanced at the mutant who tried to use her as a weapon to wipe out all of New York.

"My my, you have come, young Rogue," his voice floated across from where he stood and towards Rogue. She stood there, too shocked and elated to say anything.

In her head though, she could have sworn that there was an echo. It was Magneto's voice in her mind that whispered only to her, "Finally…"

***~*Well, after having a major writer's block for so long, I managed to come up with this much overdue chapter. I would like to apologize to those that were waiting on this chapter to be completed and updated. I haven't been getting a lot of inspiration and today, miraculously, while looking disappointedly at the unfinished chapter on my desktop, I got a tiny ounce of motivation and ran with it. I guess the Muses were looking out for me. I just do not really know if I should continue writing for this story. You can say I am just slightly unenthusiastic about writing for the story now. Tell me if you think I should continue this or discontinue. I would greatly appreciate it. Any mistakes are mine. It's one in the morning and my tired eyes might have missed some errors.**

**~geek**


	3. Chapter 3

***~*I don't own anything related to Marvel.**

Rogue's eyes flickered over to the mutants standing behind Magneto, estimating how many were before her. She had to see how many she would have to fight, that is if it came to down to one. She was hoping it wouldn't.

She turned back to face John, an eyebrow raised in question. How the hell did he know she needed to talk to Magneto? He smirked at her and pushed her forward. She didn't move an inch.

"Pyro, you're back and with a guest," Magneto stated calmly.

John's eyes flashed and he glanced at Rogue. "Yeah, she wants to ask you something, Mags," he said with a smirk.

Rogue scowled at John, but faced Magneto. He hadn't changed at all since their misfortunate encounter. The last time she saw him was when he attempted to kill her and she was finding it difficult to hold her tongue. She wanted to lash out and scream at the excuse of a man standing in front of her. She wanted to do so many things, but she wouldn't do any of them. All she wanted was to gain control, to conquer her power.

Magneto raised an eyebrow, his eyes dancing between the two teen mutants. He idly wondered how long it would take them to succumb to the lust they seemed to be radiating. It was obvious that they were attracted to each other, even a blind man would see it.

There was a deadly silence that Magneto was impatient to break. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Rogue. "I ain't gonna repeat myself so listen closely. You tried to kill me once and I ain't forgettin' that any time soon. I refuse to be one of your little toy soldiers. This war is pointless to me. Why waste time on indecisive mutants when we can do somethin' more important? The only reason why I am here is 'cause Xavier kept puttin' blocks in my mind. I was sick of it, so I left. Now, either you're gonna help me rein this power, or you'll just make another enemy. Me."

A smirk played on Magneto's lips and he had to stop himself from laughing at Rogue's snappish attitude. She has spunk, he thought to himself. He glanced at his pyromaniac accomplice and back at the Mississippian firecracker. Oh, John was going to have a challenge with this one.

"So, Rogue, you are asking me for what exactly?" the old mutant asked slyly, wanting to hear her ask for his help.

Rogue clenched her teeth and glared at Magneto. He really was acting dumb. She hated him more in that second than she ever had before.

"Don't play dumb, Magneto. You know why I'm here. I told you I wasn't gonna repeat myself. Now it's either a yes or no. It ain't that hard."

The constant clicking of John's lighter was the only thing filling the silence. All of the other mutants were waiting with baited breath. They were already wary of Rogue. She didn't look deadly, but many of their assumptions were wrong. Rogue was one of the deadliest mutants without even trying.

There was a cough out in the distance, but Magneto was still deep in his thoughts. He mulled over the possibility of taking the former X-men. When Magneto took John in, he had his hands full with the power-seeking mutant. John was so irrational and too rebellious for his own good, not that Magneto really cared. Now with Rogue he was challenged to help her contain her power, not explore it. He couldn't pass up the offer of gaining a new soldier to fight the war.

John sighed behind Rogue, his fingers twitching at the lack of verbal communication. He was always a jumpy teen. Maybe it was the anxiety he had since he was eight. That was John discovered his powers. That was when his father tried to beat the mutation out of him. Fucking asshole, John thought to himself as his hands clenched into fists.

"Very well. I will teach you everything I know," Magneto replied.

A sudden thought passed through Rogue's mind and she had to ignore it. She was not going to join the Brotherhood, despite the fact that John was a member. She didn't have any interest fighting a pointless war. There was no use trying to stop mutants from giving up their power. When a mutant was constantly being criticized, they were bound to hate their uniqueness. Rogue embraced her power, even though it was deadly.

"I ain't gonna turn the offer down." Her chin jutted out stubbornly and her eyes flashed with defiance. She was going to join.

Magneto stood quiet. He was lost for words. He expected her to refuse to become a part of them, but she accepted the offer before he even mentioned it. Did she become a telepath, Magneto asked himself.

John suddenly chuckled behind Rogue, his fingers still flicking the lighter open and close. A smirk was on his face and a glint was in his hazel eyes. Rogue tore her eyes from John's face and looked back at Magneto when he started to talk.

"Rogue, I will not force you to do something you are against doing. You do not have to join the Brotherhood if you do not want to." His calm expression made Rogue suspicious slightly, but she went with her gut. She shook his hand in agreement.

She smirked at Magneto before responding with a simple, "I wanna join."

His lip twitched and he looked over at John, who also donned a smirk of satisfaction. The Brotherhood just acquired a new member, a member that would be of great help. She was perfect and she didn't realize her full potential. Of course Magneto would help Rogue. He was waiting for this day since the moment he heard of her ability.

"Rogue, welcome to the Brotherhood."

Rogue and John shared a smug grin, but their moment was shattered when there was an outraged scream in the crowd of mutants.

A thin girl with black hair tied up in a ponytail walked to the where Magneto, Rogue, and John were standing. She glared at Rogue, failing to intimidate her. Her face had multiple piercings and Rogue could detect some ink peeking out of her shirt. Rogue wasn't impressed with the overconfident mutant.

"Magneto, she could be a spy. She was a member of the X-men for fuck's sake. You're too much of a blinded fool to see what's in front of you," she screamed at the tops of her lungs.

Every single mutant roared at the girl's disrespectful words. Rogue even noticed John shooting the girl a murderous glare. Flames were dancing up his arms and a crazed look was in his eyes. Rogue was mesmerized at this side of him. To any other person they would see a demented teen, but to Rogue she saw a breathtaking man.

Magneto didn't look at the girl, but at one of the rings on her lip. If it was not for the fact that Rogue was staring at his fingers, she would have missed the slight twitch. A scream filled the air and she snapped her eyes back at the girl. She was clutching the corner of her lip, blood trickling down her fingers and hatred shining in her eyes.

"Watch watch you say, Callisto," Magneto's calm tenor rang out. He glanced at John and nodded his head. Rogue felt John move around her and saw him grab the girl, Callisto. He dragged her away from prying eyes and took her somewhere into the woods.

Rogue suddenly felt uneasy now that her old friends was gone. What did she do now? What was the protocol for joining the man that attempted to kill her? Did she ask him where she was going to be sleeping?

There was a scream out in the forest and John suddenly appeared next to Rogue. Her body hummed at his close distance. It was like old times, when they used to mess around at the Institute.

"Pyro, show Rogue to her room. Make sure it's somewhere far from Callisto's room, although I'm pretty sure she will not be having a room any longer."

John nodded and took hold of Rogue's hand. His thumb brushed against her knuckles, making electricity run through her veins. Or maybe that was her power kicking in. She brushed a strand of hair behind her hair and tried to envision how this whole thing was going to turn out. She didn't care what happened, just as long as John was with her.

***~*I am so sorry for the late update. Torture me and throw stones at me. I really have to thank JJWolf for the review she left. It inspired me to continue the story. I won't give up on the story, since I do have some fans that like this story. Thanks a lot to those that read and add the story to their alerts/faves. Tell me what you think; your opinions motivate me.**

**~geek**


	4. Chapter 4

***~*Don't own Marvel or anything like that.**

John had just finished showing Rogue to her new room, which was conveniently just a few doors down from his, and was now lying in his hard bed. It was out of kindness that he even bothered placing the country bumpkin so close to his own room. Any other day he would have favored her going back to the mansion and continue to attempt pursuing a relationship with Bobby Drake.

For some inexplicable reason John's blood boiled at the thought of Iceman kissing Rogue. Fucker better not have touched her while I was gone, John thought to himself. His hands balled up into fists as he attempted to suppress the rage consuming every cell in his body. He wanted nothing more than to find that ice cube and make him turn into a puddle. Why? He had no clue.

Rubbing his eyes with his clenched fists, John released a breath before looking up at his ceiling. What the hell was all of that? He had no reason to get mad over Bobby touching Rogue. He was her boyfriend or whatever. That was his job, to put himself at risk of dying in the hopes of finally fucking her. Because that's all Bobby really wanted from Rogue. Bobby just couldn't stand the fact that the new girl slightly intrigued John. No, he had to piss all over her leg and growl whenever John so much as smiled at the misunderstood girl.

Whatever. That was in the past. He had to live in the present, the now. It was time to focus on this little 'cure' problem. He knew that Magneto was arranging something elaborate and big, like always. John rolled his eyes, his mind going back to the punishment old Mags dished out on Callisto. He had overheard Magneto threatening to inject her snarky ass with the 'cure' and then let the hardcore anti-cure mutants take care of her. And by take care of her, he meant torture her till she begged for mercy.

John huffed while moving to lay on his side. The bright red numbers of his digital clock agitated him for no reason and he flicked open his lighter, set on burning the stupid contraption. "If only this fucking clock was actually the Iceprick," he muttered as flames danced around his fingertips. Just as he was about to blast the wretched clock, there was a light knock at his door.

His eyes flicked over to the door and back at the clock resting on his bedside table. It was past one in the morning. Who the hell would stop by to chat at this time? Not that he cared. Anything would be better than fighting off insomnia.

John stood and slowly walked over to the door, ignoring the now rapid knocks. When he opened the door, the impatient person barreled into his room and started pacing. His annoyance level shot up at the sight of Rogue. He wanted to yell at her for being with Bobby. He wanted to touch her and make her his. He wanted to do so many things that just weren't right. All the conflicted thoughts in his head were confusing him. He didn't like it when his mind was all over the place. He didn't like her. He just had to keep on saying that.

Rogue stopped pacing when the resonance of his lighter clinking open and close reached her ears. It calmed her jitters in a way. She coined it to the fact that it was the John-in-her-head that enjoyed the sound, not her. Her eyes met his, and her insides twitched when she saw an unreadable emotion shining in those hazel eyes.

"Can I ask you somethin', John?" she finally asked in a shaky breath.

He rolled his eyes, his hand going into his pocket while his other continued to play with the lighter. "You just did."

Rogue took in a slow breath to stop herself from attacking the cocky fire wielder that had her thoughts in disarray. Why did he give her room so close to his? He gave off that fuck off vibe the whole time they were on the bus and then he swapped to being _nice_ to her. He was being hot and cold and it was pissing her off to no end.

"Goddamn it, Johnny. You can't stop being such a fuckin' smartass for one day, huh? Try and try as I might I can't seem to have a decent conversation with you. Y'know what? Forget I even came over." Rogue walked towards the door, and had her hand on the knob when John reached out to grab her arm.

He yanked her and pushed her against the wall. With his hands on either side of her head, she was efficiently trapped between him and the hard wall. Tension was building quickly but they were both too stubborn to say anything.

John was curious. He was trying to come up with an explanation for her suddenly moody behavior, but all he came up with was her carrying Bobby's spawn. He highly doubted _that_ because when it came down to it, Drake was a pussy. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth at the thought of Bobby impregnating Rogue. _Not even in Drake's dreams_.

He bent down to look at Rogue in the eyes, the corners of his lips turning upwards. "If you weren't such a bitch, I might listen to you every once in a while."

Appalled at his words, Rogue stared up at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. He smirked at the girl lost for words and reached around her to open the door. He none too gently pushed her out of his room and released a sigh when she was out of his room.

On the other side of the door, Rogue was still trying to wrap her head around what just transcended. Was I just kicked out, she wondered idly to herself. Normally, she would have knocked down the door to teach Johnny-boy some manners, but she was occupied with the mind-boggling enigma that is John Allerdyce.

She wasn't sure if she should have been offended or amused by his actions. So she chose the latter. Her manic laughter made her sound insane, even to her own ears. Nevertheless, she continued to giggle hysterically, all the way back to her room, while John's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. Whoever knew kissing a block of ice would make you go mad, he mused before slipping into a light sleep.

The day following John's rude dismissal of Rogue was filled with murderous glares, and silent threats. Even a person who was blind would have been able to see the tension between the two.

One thing Rogue wasn't really expecting, was the fact that people loved to gossip, considering that most mutants inhabiting the Brotherhood headquarters were young runaways. When the mutants noticed that she was glaring daggers at John constantly, they created some fabricated story about their 'relationship'. Stories that spoke about their supposed rocky relationship and sexcapades. Nonetheless, she ignored the nasty rumors, for the most part, and tried to not throw up when people would insinuate that her and John were an item.

But the one thing she definitely was not anticipating was that an armistice between her and John would appear so soon. She was sure that it was going to take them weeks, months, to talk again. They were both stubborn and always wanted to be right. After all, one of John's rules was to never apologize; it made you look weak.

So when he walked up to her on the third day of their mutual silent treatment, asking for a truce, she stared at him as if she was expecting John to transform into Mystique. After two minutes of her suspicious expression, John told her, "Either you accept my apology or you tell me to fuck off, _Marie_."

The way he said her name made her want to yell at him to stick the truce right up where the sun doesn't shine. But she refrained and shook his hand, her hand twitching with the need to use her power. Ah, if only, if only.

Now it was two days after John and Rogue's ceasefire, and they were outside in the forest, enjoying the cool air. He was coaxing Rogue into getting in touch with the John-in-her-head so she could acquire his fire manipulation ability. Of course, being the buzzjoy that she was, Rogue steadfastly refused.

It wasn't that she wasn't able to do it, just that she was scared to do it. What if she happened to let the John-in-her-head run ramped all because she wanted to see if she could play with the pretty fire? She wasn't taking any chances.

"John, I ain't doin' it. I'm not even sure if I can do that." Lies. She knew that when she made skin to skin contact with another mutant long enough, she would be able to use their power. How did she knew? Xavier told her that her power acted as a sponge.

John rolled his eyes before replying, "It's okay Rogue-y. That's why I like you. Cause you have zero fun inside of you."

For some odd reason Rogue's heart skipped a beat when John said he liked her. She wanted to kill him for making her react like that. And then she wanted to kill him even more when he called her boring.

Just as she was slipping off her gloves to hit John for fun, Callisto walked over to where they were standing. She looked disdainfully at Rogue before smiling brightly at John. Callisto failed to notice the disgusted look John aimed towards her. He just didn't like the girl.

"Magneto is requesting your presence," she said in a cheerful voice. Rogue gagged behind the other girl's back, causing a smirk to appear on John's face instantly. Callisto, thinking she was the cause of his sudden change in demeanor, latched onto his arm and started to pull him away from Rogue.

John released his hand from her grip. "Don't touch me." He shot one last look at Rogue then jogged away.

Rogue bit the inside of her cheek while staring at the mutant girl in front of her. Callisto glared after checking if John was out of earshot. She circled around Rogue at a lazy speed. The smirk on Rogue's face was a sign that Callisto's plan of intimidation was not working. So she told the Mississippian what was on her mind.

"Stay away from him. He's mine."

Rogue snorted at the ridiculous girl. Did she really think that she could command her to not talk to John, her only friend in the Brotherhood? Either Callisto lost some brain cells from the speed she ran at, or she was dropped regularly when she was a baby. Rogue hoped it was both cases.

"Listen, sugar," Rogue drawled, her Southern roots coming out as she talked. "I ain't gonna listen to some girl that's so desperate for attention she's covered in tattoos and piercings. Don't let John hear you saying that. He doesn't like it when people try to control him."

Callisto glared at Rogue, hating the fact that John's eyes followed Rogue instead of her. What did he see in the swamp rat? She was filthy and had a terrible accent to boot. Hell, she can't even have sex with him, Callisto whined in her head.

John suddenly walked back to the two glaring girls, throwing a curious glance at Rogue. She smiled at him and turned away from the pathetic Callisto. I'm gonna have to show her he's mine, Rogue thought.

***~*Sorry it was so late, RL's a bitch. I hope it was okay at least. Anyway, big thanks to my reviewers **_JJWOLF_, _Booklover9477_, _KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, and to FW Wandering _**and to everyone that added the story to their alerts/faves. Where would I be without you all? Okay the next chapter will be up in a week. Lemme know what you thought.**

**~geek**


	5. Chapter 5

***~*Don't own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Callisto glared angrily at the happy couple from across the space. They were so happy, shooting each other googly eyes, that it literally made her sick. What the hell did he even see in that washed out redneck? Her accent grated on Callisto's last nerve and she really wasn't the prettiest girl in the Brotherhood. It would be understandable if Pyro were to choose Wanda to be his girlfriend, seeing as how she is gorgeous, but honestly, Rogue? She was just so...

"Repulsive," Callisto said as she caught sight of Rogue smiling up at a smirking Pyro. _He never smirks at me_, Callisto thought angrily to herself.

Sometimes, she wondered if Pyro was even right in the head. Of course, she knew all about his family issues, and once she even had tried to talk to him about it, but he had simply shot her a withering glare and told her to fuck off. Needless to say, she stopped bringing up his family. It was sad, really, how a proud father and doting mother could throw out their best son just for being a mutant. It may have been his family's loss, but it was definitely the Brotherhood's gain. Having a lose cannon was always good.

Once again, Callisto found herself looking over at Rogue and Pyro. She couldn't help but wish the girl bodily harm. She hated her. And not because she so obviously had Pyro wrapped around her pudgy, greasy finger. There were rumors floating around that Rogue was a spy and that she had given the X-men the base's location. So, Callisto, being the loyal member that she was, ran to Magneto and told him that Rogue was still working for the X-men. Magneto simply laughed at her and sent her off, saying how she should really stop being a 'jealous, silly child'. The foolish old man would be begging for her forgiveness when Rogue showed her true colors.

Suddenly, Callisto felt the air whoosh around her and she rolled her eyes when she saw the flash of blue and white. "Honestly, Pietro, we both know that I am the faster of the two."

A deep chuckle came from the left of her and she turned her head to take in the mutant that never failed to irritate her. Pietro was undeniably the most cockiest boy ever; always gloating that his father was the great Magneto. He would go around the base and give his unwanted opinions that never concerned him. Nearly everyone hear wanted to kill him, but nobody wanted to face his father's wrath. It was understandable.

The white-haired boy smirked at her, his eyes gleaming with mischief as his eyes traveled up and down her tattooed and pierced body. At a certain time, a long time ago, he wouldn't have mind sleeping with Callisto, but now he saw how utterly annoying and clingy was. He shuddered at the thought of having her as a stalker; poor Pyro has to deal with her every day. With that cocky attitude and smartass remarks, no wonder why she was constantly being punished by Magneto.

"You don't even know what the word honest means, Cal. Now, tell me why you absolutely insist on glaring holes at Pyro's head."

Callisto's eyes involuntarily shot back to the aforementioned mutant and just about fell over when she saw his small smile. He was looking down at his stray in awe. Flames were dancing on Rogue's ungloved left hand and she was leaning on Pyro for support, her mouth moving as she said something to him. Wasn't she only good for sucking the life out of people? Nobody said anything about her ability to actually use another person's power. Now Callisto really had to get rid of her.

Pietro snickered and Callisto shot him a look that had him laughing loudly, bringing some other people's attention. Oh, how she wanted to strangle the white-haired freak so badly. But oh how sad it would be to kill Magneto's precious son. Not only would she have Magneto hell-bent on massacring her, but she would also have Wanda hunting her down and she really did not want to deal with her.

Glaring at Pietro, Callisto bit the inside of her cheek before saying, "For the record I am not glaring holes at Pyro. I'm glaring at the slut standing next to him."

Pietro didn't even bother looking to see who Pyro's new toy was. He heard a thousand and one stories about her and he knew enough to keep his opinions to himself. No need to insult the Firebug's new girlfriend and get his feathers all riled up.

With his hands on her shoulders, he tells Callisto with a smirk, "Cal. Oh annoying, foolish, infuriating Callisto. When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that he doesn't want you? He obviously brings strays to the base. Face it, Cal, he's never going to want you. And I can't blame him. You are a headcase after all." And then he ran for the hills, laughing maniacally when Callisto cursed him to hell and ran after him.

"Fuck you, Pietro!" she shouted as she ran after him.

Pyro tilted his head to the side, silently watching the thirty-sixth fight between Callisto and Quicksilver break out. Yeah, he kept track of their arguments. It wasn't as if you could really ignore Callisto's loud as fuck screams. "Those two should just fuck and get it over with," he muttered under his breath.

Rogue arched an eyebrow and also turned to see what was going on. All she managed to see was a blue and white blur running away from another blur. Must be Callisto chasing after someone.

Callisto. Now that was someone Rogue couldn't bother liking. She acted so high and mighty, trying to tell Rogue what to do and when to do it. And Rogue wasn't the kind of girl that would just let herself be talked to whichever way. It angered her so much when Callisto had told her to stay away from Pyro, that he was hers. But it had angered her even more when she caught Pyro glancing at Callisto's ass. Of course, this was a typical male reaction, but she couldn't rid herself of the jealousy wrapping it's green tendrils around her. He never looked at Rogue with desire, or with lust.

Suddenly feeling unreasonably insecure, Rogue couldn't stop herself from asking Pyro if he thought Callisto was pretty. His head snapped in her direction so fast that he damn near got whiplash. His eyes raked over her face, but she was looking away from him, purposefully avoiding his gaze and looking indifferent. There was a slight red tinge to her cheeks, but other than that her face was neutral, a calm mask hiding her true emotions. Pyro silently thought to himself, _is she really that blind_ _that she can't see that I like..._

"Hey, Pyro, meeting in twenty," Pietro said before winking at Rogue. "Who are you, sweetheart? Don't think I remember a pretty thing like you."

Pyro's whole body tensed and he clenched his jaw. _Did he just flirt with her,_ he asked himself, red creeping around the corner's of his vision. _I'm going to fucking kill him_.

Raising an eyebrow, Rogue nimbly took off the glove on her right hand and was just about to shake Pietro's hand when Pyro interrupted with his outburst. "Get the fuck out of here, Quicksilver."

"Ah, Pyro, why you gotta be such a fun sucker. I just wanted to talk to my new friend here." Turning to look at the Southern girl with the stange white streaks, a glint appeared in his eyes. "I'm Quicksilver, as my best buddy here said. And I just wanted to take the time to ask if you know why Callisto hates you so damn much."

Fuming internally, Pyro flicked his Zippo open and was ready to roast the smug bastard. Realizing that Pyro was ready to blow up any second, Pietro grinned widely at Rogue, tipped an imaginary hat, and took off faster than a bullet.

Flustered, and a little ticked off by the sudden interruption, Pyro turned back to Rogue, who was looking anywhere but him. Great. Three minutes ago she was worse than Chatty Kathy, playing with fire and all of that jshit, and now that Pietro came over and mentioned Callisto her lips seemed to be glued shut. Pyro had no idea why Rogue and Callisto hated each other. He just simply chalked it up to being some 'girl' thing. Whatever the hell that meant.

"Hey," Rogue met Pyro's eyes and she damn near melted at the soft expression in them. "You know better than anybody else here that I don't like anybody except you."

Rogue bit her lip and had to look away from his smoldering gaze. _Ugh. Smoldering? Really, Rogue. I think I look hot, _the John-in-her-head whispered. She mentally rolled her eyes and locked up the other personalities in her head. She knew the personalities were going to come out if she used his fire-manipulating ability. But she did love seeing the awe on John's face when the flames curled around her fingers. Guess he liked the fact that she could handle fire.

_You bet I liked it_, John-in-her-head whispered again. She really had to keep him in check.

"I gotta say, Johnny, you must be doin' a great job to be gettin' showered with all that attention all day long," Rogue drawled, the corners of her mouth twitching up when he rolled his eyes.

"Can it, Marie. The meetings I go to can't even be called meetings. It's usually always some asshole bitching and moaning about how their life sucks and how they want to blow up the clinics that are giving out the 'cure'. Lame, really."

Snorting loudly, Rogue replied jokingly, "Lamer than your ol' pal Bobby."

Pyro's whole body tensed up and he shot her a dirty look. He clenched his jaw and bit down on his tongue to stop himself from saying something cutting. Instead, he decided to say something nicer than what he really wanted to say "No. Lamer than Bobby's fucking skills."

Rogue pursed her lips and glared up at the blond. He kept on commenting on Bobby and her supposed relationship, and she kept ignoring the comments, but it was getting out of hand. Did he honestly believe that she would set such a low standard for herself? She wouldn't date Bobby even if she had to repopulate the Earth and he was the only boy in the world.

"Well, then maybe you should ask Kitty Pride about that." At Pyro's raised eyebrow, she spat through clenched teeth that she never dated Bobby Drake, her hands unclenching and clenching. She was practically aching to hit him.

Chuckling darkly, Pyro mumbled, "Yeah fucking right," under his breath. He said it loud enough that Rogue would hear and she nearly flew off the handle when she heard him.

"Dammit, Johnny. I've been tellin' you that I didn't date him. And even if I did, so what? The world ain't gonna end if we had dated. But, he was so damn scared of me and he was datin' that walk-through-walls girl. He saw me as the poor little girl who can't even hold hands. I know you ain't gotta believe me, but it would be awfully nice if you kept your opinions to your fuckin' self."

Her chest heaved and she glared at him once more, before stomping away in an angry huff.

Despite being yelled at, the corners of his mouth lifted and Pyro was smiling. Bobby was never with her. At least the fucker did one thing right. _Thank you, Iceprick for not tainting her with your frigid ass_, Pyro smiled to himself before following after Rogue.

He reached out and grabbed her now gloved hand. She whirled around, an insult ready on her tongue. That insult quickly died when she realized how close John's face was to hers. Their lips were just inches away and she could practically feel his warm breath on her lips. His cinnamon and smokey scent assaulted her senses and she had to blink repeatedly to think straight. With a racing heart and flipping stomach, Rogue slowly licked her lips, her tongue dragging over her bottom lip.

Pyro's eyes flickered between her mouth and her eyes, trying to work up the courage to just kiss her. He wanted to so badly, and noticed how she was leaning in closer and closer. His hand curled around the back of her neck and he leaned in closer and closer.

Just millimeters away, Pyro stepped back and smirked at her stunned expression. "I only ask because I worry about you, Rogue-y. I don't want to have to see you all worked up over some ice cube."

This time it was Rogue who rolled her eyes.

He didn't kiss her like she thought he would. Of course he wouldn't. He actually did like his life. John wasn't a risk-taker like she thought he was. He wasn't like _him_. She shook her head before those memories could come back. She vowed that she wouldn't think of that man ever again. She wasn't going to start now.

But she wanted him to kiss her and she damn well knew that he wanted it, too. She wanted to scream in frustration. Why were boys so goddamn confusing?

Mentally kicking herself, she scanned the room, noticing that there was a man blatantly staring at her. Scrunching her eyebrows, she met the man's eyes and her jaw instantly dropped. Red iris on black sclera. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere. Those eyes that have haunted her for a year.

"He's here," Rogue whispered.

***~*I know I failed at replying to reviews, but just know that I get really super duper happy when I read what you have to say. Thanks to my wonderful reviewers: **Lovely Decay**, **Booklover9477**, **Fw Wandering**, **nicholee33**, and **Deception-silverstreak**. And another thank you to everyone that added or faved this story. **

**Please, tell me what you think. If you review, I just might post** on Wednesday instead of next week. Just a little motivation :)****

****~geek****


	6. Chapter 6

***~*Don't own any recognizable characters. No infringement intended. **

How the hell could this have happened? She was so sure that she didn't leave a single trace. There was no way that he could have actually tracked her down. No way.

"Well, I'll be damned," she whispered to herself. "He found me."

Pyro looked down at her in confusion. She was staring off in the distance, her mouth hanging agape slightly. Her eyebrows were scrunched up and her expression was quickly turning into anger. Following her line of vision, his eyes landed on some guy.

The smirk on the guy's face instantly set off red flags in the pyromaniac's mind. He knew when danger was approaching and it was standing in front of them a few feet away. But if Pyro were to be completely honest, which wouldn't ever happen, he would have to say that he was mainly freaked out by the guy's eyes. Demonic looking eyes, that creeped Pyro out. It wasn't every day that you saw someone with red eyes.

The red-eyed man started walking slowly over to the two teens, that sly smirk still on his face. Rogue sighed and ran a hand through her hair, tugging the ends in an attempt to wake up from this horrific dream.

_Face you're fears, kid_, the inner Wolverine said to her. She rolled her eyes and shot a glare at the approaching mutant. She had seriously believed that he was never going to look for her, and if he did, he wouldn't be successful. Obviously that didn't happen. He was here and now she had no way of escaping from him. It was her worst nightmare.

"Ah chere, I hasn' seen your pretty face in so long," he drawled, his thick Cajun accent curling around each of his words. It instantly pissed Pyro off how Rogue blushed and looked away from the guy. That stupid accent pissed Pyro off. That ridiculous trench coat pissed Pyro off. Everything about the guy pissed Pyro off.

"Ain't you a sore sight for well-rested eyes, Remy LeBeau. Or should I be callin' you Gambit?" She shot back, a smile on her face despite the fact that she was secretly fuming in the inside.

He chuckled and his eyes lit up mischievously as his eyes looked her up and down. She was more beautiful than he remembered, and for a second, he just watched her. But his attention was broken when a throat was cleared. Gambit looked away from Rogue's face and his eyes landed on a menacing blonde boy. His eyes quickly flitted back to Rogue, who was eying the blonde boy with skepticism.

She reached up and whispered something in his ear. It must have been something funny, because the blond boy snorted and stopped glaring daggers at Gambit. He glanced at Rogue, almost longingly, before walking off.

Gambit turned and watched him leave for a second before setting his eyes on Rouge. "You hurt me, chere. You didn' introduce me to your little friend."

Rogue rolled her eyes and leaned against the tree she was standing in front of. Although, she would rather ignore the smooth talking thief, she was mildly curious and wanted to know how exactly he found her.

"You ain't supposed to be here, Remy. What you doin' pickin' a side in this anyway? I remember you sayin' somethin' about never joinin' a fight that ain't yours. What happened to that?"

Gambit rolled his eyes before stepping closer to the girl in front of him. She instinctively tried to back away, but realized a little too late that her back was flush against the tree. Remy grinned at her while lightly touching the lapels of her jacket. She flinched involuntarily and looked anywhere but at his eyes. She knew that if she looked into his eyes she would lose all of her self-control. He would talk his way back into her life, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him back.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, he smirked at her, his red eyes now gleaming. She tried to push him away, confused by his intentions, but Gambit simply pulled out something from her pocket. In between his middle and pointer finger was the Queen of Hearts, his favorite card.

Her eyes met his and she turned into a puddle of goo when he smiled softly before saying, "Chere, I'm just lookin' fer de Queen of Hearts."

She stared into his eyes, not at all bothered by their color. It had been a long time since she really looked at him, and in a way, she missed for that penetrating stare of his.

Two years ago, she was walking through the streets of New Orleans, trying her best to survive without being noticed. Of course, that did not work when a certain red-eyed man walked up to her with an air of confidence and started to call her 'chere' and shamelessly flirt with her. And that was the start of their relationship. Well, relationship would have meant that they were seriously committed to each other, and that didn't happen. You could say that they were simply...experimenting what a possible relationship would be like between them.

When Rogue had first met Gambit, her powers were stable and she had a tight hold on them. She was able to touch for periods of time without causing any major damage. And they took that to their advantage. Two weeks after meeting him, Rogue gave herself completely to Gambit, trusting him to not see her as just a piece of meat.

Long story short, Rogue had wanted Gambit to be exclusive and he, well, he wanted to live the life of a thief. Rogue was broken when he told her that she was great but carried too much baggage for a guy like him. So she ran and ran, trying her best to mend a hole a sharp-tongued Cajun left behind in her heart.

And she never heard one single peep from Gambit, which hurt at first, but then it stopped bothering her. What did she expect from a swamp rat, Class A thief? Not a damn thing.

Looking away from him, Rogue decided to contemplate her next move. She could have easily left, but she wanted some answers. Like why he was suddenly back in her life. She knew that he wasn't with the Brotherhood because he never really bothered caring about anything unless it pertained to himself. He could care less about the pro-cure, anti-cure fight. So what were his true motives in showing up here?

Sighing softly, Rogue looked back at Gambit, who was still gazing at her with his stare. "What you here for, Remy?"

He cracked a smile at her and tilted his head to the side. "Mon chere, I haven' seen you fer two years an' you didn' ask how I'm doin'?"

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Well I apologize for my rude behavior."

Smirking at her, Gambit leaned in closer to hers, his eyes on hers the whole time. He wanted to see what she would do if he got closer. Would she kiss him, or would she push him away? The curiosity was practically killing him. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Rogue ducked under his arm and started to walk away. She looked over her shoulder and smirked at his shocked expression.

He thought she was going to kiss him. How very wrong he was. She was interested in another person, someone with a fiery temper and a moody personality. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about her ex's sudden appearance, but she was damn sure about where Pyro and her stood.

Rogue walked to Pyro's room and quietly walked inside. He still wasn't there, so she decided to just sit and wait for him. She looked around his room and was surprised to find a framed picture on his desk. Standing up for a closer look, she squinted at the faces and gasped when she realized it was a picture of Rogue, Bobby, and Pyro.

Bobby had his arm thrown around Rogue's shoulders, a dazzling smile on his face. Rogue's lips were slightly turned up and she was leaning her body away from Bobby. It was clear that she was very uncomfortable touching him.

The thing she noticed the most, though, was not the awkwardness of her limbs, but the look on Pyro's face. He was leaning on a tree, just barely staying in the picture, with a scowl on his face. His eyes however, held an emotion that caught Rogue off-guard.

Jealousy.

***~*Ah, so yeah. I tried not to leave it as a cliff-hanger, but I guess it could be considered as one. Thanks to all the reviewers: **JJwolf**,** Booklover9477**, **KittieKat666**, **FW Wandering**, **nicholee33**, **Deception-silverstreak**, **KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun**, and **Refrigerator-Burn**; I read each and every one of your reviews and I am extremely thankful that people like this fic. Oh, and more thanks to those that favorite'd and added to their alerts. Next chapter will be better. Promise.**

**~geek**


	7. Chapter 7

***~*Now, how does an update sound?**

The agitated blonde was pacing back and forth in the room. While running his hands through the mop of hair on his head, he shot one more glare at the mutant standing across from him. The smug bastard was growling obscenities, blaming everybody who dared to look in his direction.

"I still can't understand why she left." _Liar_. "Maybe she's been kidnapped, again." _Don't be such a fucking idiot_, he wanted to shout as the older woman threw in her worthless two cents.

He took in a sharp breath, letting it out in a ragged whoosh at the next words that were said.

"Maybe she wouldn't have left if her friends weren't such pompous assholes that never even gave a -"

He had enough of this bullshit. "I don't care why she left or where she even went. I just want her by my side and now would be better than later."

There was the sound of an animalistic growl before he was thrown up against the wall, cold metallic claws pushing against his throat. Disgusting whiskey breath washed over the younger mutant's face and he fought back the urge to vomit. _Jesus, has this guy ever heard of a breath mint?_

Brown eyes met blue in a silent standoff. The shorter, stronger mutant growled up at the boy he wanted to beat to a bloody pulp. Voices were raised in an effort to calm down the altercation that was quickly escalating between student and teacher.

"You better watch what you say, boy. I'd love to put a couple holes in that too-pretty face of yours."

"Logan!" Storm cried out, instantly annoyed at the violent turn this meeting has gone. They were all gathered in the medical room that they used for conferences regarding students, training schedules for the newer X-men recruits, etc.. Now, however, they had to come up with a reasonable explanation for the disappearance of one of their own students.

Rogue.

Nobody knew why or even when she left. It was almost as if she just disappeared that Wednesday night. Which was a feat all in itself because no students were allowed out of the mansion.

Rumors were flying all over the mansion, but not a single one seemed plausible. Well, except for the one accusing Rogue of seeking treatment at those clinics administrating the "cure". The only ones who didn't believe that rumor seemed to be Logan and the Professor. Both of them lacked common sense in Ororo's opinion. How could they be so gullible? And how could Logan behave like such an animal?

Bobby suddenly smirked at the Wolverine, confidence pumping in his body. His skin temperature was slowly turning icy, the frost blue coloring his skin. He wanted to fight the arrogant man. Logan thought he was above it all. How wrong he was.

For two tense seconds the Wolverine and Iceman glared at each other, their hate out in the open for everybody to see. If they were going to fight, one was going to come out dead, and it wasn't going to be the Logan.

"That's enough."

With one last shove against the wall, Logan sneered and walked out of the room. He didn't want to hear the rest of this 'meeting'. They weren't going to get Rogue back if they just sat around. He was going to have to take matters into his own hands. Nobody in that room gave a damn about Rogue and if they wanted to stall, they could do it without Logan. He had to look for her himself.

Bobby leaned against the wall he was so rudely pushed against, trying his best to calm down. His heart was pumping furiously from the confrontation with Logan. The anger was slow to evaporate, but he eventually relaxed enough to pay attention to the conversation playing out in front of him.

_I can't believe she left_, Bobby was still trying to wrap that little fact around his mind. When he had gone to his girlfriend's room and did not find said girlfriend, he flipped. Rogue left. She left to get the 'cure'.

If Bobby was being truthful, he didn't exactly care if Rogue left to get the shot - finally getting to touch her would be great. No, Bobby was furious that she left without telling him or anybody else where she was going. He had made it clear that she was never to leave without him, ever.

He grunted, feeling the anger bubble in his veins again. _Stupid bitch probably left to be that pyromaniac's new slut_.

"Bobby, how could you say something like?" an outraged cry broke through his angry thoughts.

He plastered the most innocent look on his face, frowning to make it seem as if he regretted his words. He didn't, of course, but his reputation of sweet, Bobby Drake couldn't be tarnished by the rage he felt. Kitty would deny him access into her pants. He had to stop himself from snorting at that thought. Kitty couldn't live a single day without him and they both knew it.

He smirked inwardly before focusing on his role of 'brokenhearted boyfriend'. He even forced some tears.

Clearing his suddenly dry throat, he faked a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, my worry is making me say things I don't mean. I just can't stop thinking about what I could have done to stop her," he whispered to the floor, hiding the scowl on his face.

Arms wrapped around him and he sniffled for effect. _Too easy_.

There was a snort and then the voice of Jubilee broke the sweet moment, much to Bobby's utter annoyance.

"Alright, Pansy ass. I prefer fireworks over waterworks any day, so cut it out. We need to start looking for Rogue. Sitting around isn't doing shit." She waved away Ororo's reprimand with a hand before continuing, saying her words directly to Bobby. "If you're not going to look for my best friend, your _girlfriend_, well you might as well forget all about her."

Bobby threw her an icy glare, hating how she made him look bad. He was going to have to do something about Jubilee.

This time, Kitty spoke up, trying and failing to subtly defend Bobby. "Stop yelling at Bobby. He's stressed out looking for Rouge. It's not fair that he's blamed for his flaky girlfriend wanting to get 'cured'."

Jubilee instantly stalked in the direction of Kitty, daring her with her eyes to say another bad thing about her best friend. Kitty may have been recently made into an official X-man but it didn't give her the right to act superior. If it was up to Jubilee, Kitty would be the one missing and Rogue would still be at the Institute.

Arms wrapped around Jubilee just as sparks began to emit from her palms. She struggled for a moment, but calmed down once Peter started whispering in her ear.

"Professor, we need to find her. I can't live without her."

A strangled sound caught in Kitty's throat at Bobby's words, but nobody even blinked at her. Nobody except Jubilee. She knew what was going on between Kitty and Bobby, and was disgusted by how easily Kitty betrayed her friendship with Rogue. _Backstabbing tramp,_ Jubilee wanted to scream.

Professor Xavier took a calming breath before rolling his chair towards the exit of the room. It was the end of the meeting and a plan was about to be set.

He rubbed his temples, wincing at the slight headache he was feeling. All of the negative thoughts bouncing around the world were taking their toll. He was tired of all the prejudice every mutant faced, and with Magneto rallying new forces for the fight against the cure, he wasn't sure if he could continue being the leader the X-men needed. Nevertheless, he would fight against Magneto, old friend or not.

Charles' gaze flickered over to the young blonde, frowning at the dark thoughts in the boy's head. The things Bobby was thinking of, did not match up with the act he was putting forth. To Charles, the feelings Bobby had towards Rogue were too dark to be something remotely loving. He would keep a close eye on Bobby and use the Cerebrum to locate Rogue. They couldn't afford any distractions.

"No students are permitted to leave the campus as of late. Ororo, organize a search party with the members, excluding Bobby and Jubilee." He smiled when the two students he mentioned groaned at his orders. They would understand eventually. "Now, I advise you all to not do any rash decisions when on your mission. Be safe." And with that, Charles wheeled away.

Kitty quickly disappeared through a wall and Jubilee had a sinking suspicion that she was heading somewhere private to wallow about Bobby. The girl was very overdramatic in that sense.

Jubilee glared at Bobby and said the words that hit an already sensitive nerve. "I hope she's with Johnny. She always did like him more than you."

She smiled brightly as his face began to purple and grabbed Peter on her way out the room.

_Revenge is always served better with a little sparks._

***~*I would love to thank FW Wandering for initially suggesting a chapter showing the X-men's reaction to our lovely Rogue going AWOL. I hope it's somewhat good, even though I really did rush this, since I need to hustle to finish writing my paper on abnormal psychology. Fun, right?**

**ANYWAYS, hugs and so much love to all those that haven't given up on this fic. And to my awesome reviewers; **_JJwolf_**, **_Booklover9477_**_, _**_Refrigerator-Burn_**_, _**_FW Wandering_** (yes, two mentions),**_KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun_**_, _**_XxGeeksicalxX_**_, and _**_Anne Marie Masen_**_ (_gracias muchisimo y ojale esta capitulo de gusto). **

**Yeah...I speak Spanish ;) Ya'll know the drill, review = a sneak peak of next chapter, and trust me, things are going to be getting a little steamy. It might have something to do with a certain pyromaniac getting handsy. Okay no more blabbing from me. Review/PM me any thoughts or questions, I'll either answer you in a PM or in a Q/A in the next chapter.**


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